How to say “short” in Japanese

短い

みじかいmijikai

い-adjectiveJLPT N5Adjectives

The short answer

“Short” in Japanese is 短い (みじかい), pronounced mijikai.

Pronunciation

The word has 4 beats (morae), each about the same length. Tap a syllable to hear it, or play the whole word:

How to use it

Short, for length and time. For short people, Japanese says 背が低い.

Example sentences

短い映画です。みじかいえいがです。
It’s a short film.
夏休みは短いです。なつやすみはみじかいです。
The summer holidays are short.

Conjugation

The most useful forms of 短い. The rules are explained in い- vs. な-adjectives.

Form	Japanese	Meaning
Plain	短いみじかい	short
Polite present	短いですみじかいです	is short
Negative	短くないですみじかくないです	isn’t short
Past	短かったですみじかかったです	was short
Past negative	短くなかったですみじかくなかったです	wasn’t short
て-form	短くてみじかくて	short and…
Adverb (く)	短くみじかく	adverb form (+ verb)

Quick practice

Test yourself0/3

What does {{短い}} mean?
How do you read {{短い}}?
Which word means “interesting”?

美味しいdelicious 楽しいfun 面白いinteresting つまらないboring 難しいdifficult 簡単easy 優しいkind (gentle)親切kind (helpful)

FAQ

How do you say short in Japanese?

Short in Japanese is 短い (みじかい), pronounced “mijikai”.

How do you write short in Japanese?

It's written 短い with kanji, or みじかい in hiragana. Both are read mijikai.

Is 短い on the JLPT?

Yes. 短い (mijikai) is a common word at JLPT N5 level, so it's worth learning early.